White Shadows
by Ravyn
Summary: Kaoru's quiet life is disrupted when an unknown wolf-pack moves into her territory. Add to that the return of her old pack mate running from family and a drug ring, her confusing attraction to the new alpha and things become complicated. Fast.
1. Chapter 1

This one is for Sekihara Tae.

And yet another wolf story! Written in about two week as a gift fic. This is part 1 of 2, and it's finished. So the rest of it should be out in a few days.

Hope you like it!

Ravyn

Notes: Yes, yes I realize the names are still Japanese while they are living in Norway. We're just going to put it down to Pack Magic that no one notices. And any mistake about landscapes/culture/environment are mine. Google apparently only does so much.

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><p>The air was so cold Kaoru's nose ached with it. Shivering in the cold, she wished for a moment that she dared prance around in her fur instead of skin. But changing left a distinct scent – more so than her usual 'wolf' smell – and she was running low on supplies. By not changing, she was hopefully increasing the chances of the pack no picking up on her presence. Still, the walk to her garage would have been that much more bearable, and quicker, if she had dared. Putting in a garage that attached to the house was going on the list of things to do once she had cash. Shivering, she shoved her hands a little more firmly into her pockets and wished fervently that the unclaimed places that could hide her kind weren't frozen blocks of ice for most of the year.<p>

Shoving her keys into the ignition, Kaoru huddled in her seat and shivered while the engine warmed up. Even in the cold, she realized her palms were starting to sweat. Curling her fingers into fists, she worked to stifle the nerves dancing along her stomach like butterflies. It had been six months since the new pack had moved in. Six months of hiding as carefully as she could, avoiding the places they hunted and keeping her trips into town to a minimum. They hadn't noticed her yet, for which she was thankful, but it wasn't going to last. It never did.

And even after three years, she didn't have the collateral to pick up and move.

Besides, she had finally started to like it here. Even _with_ the blasted cold.

She'd tried to find out what she could about their alpha. But that was near impossible with the amount of time she allowed herself to spend in time. She had names and faces, but not ranks, and was unwilling to get close enough to challenge for dominance.

Shinomori Aoshi was a possibility; he was the only who appeared to be mated – but the tall, thin man didn't seem to have the openness to the others needed to _connect_ to the pack. He wouldn't be the first alpha lacking that ability, and it _was_ possible that she was wrong, but she hadn't gotten that sense of uncertainty that usually followed disconnect between members. Sanosuke Sagara was another possible candidate; there was an air of unwanted responsibility clinging to his shoulders, but the relationships he had seemed to be based on a mutual hobby of verbal abuse. She doubted any self-respecting wolf would bend their knees to the cheerful, if slightly vexing personality without it having been proven. Her wolf didn't sense that kind of depth.

There were two males who she had ranked as being submissive. She hadn't caught more than a glimpse of them but they were obviously interested in each other more than their surroundings. She thought it would have been interesting if they were in charge, but they weren't dominant and there was a wariness to them that might have come from being new to the pack.

Which left her with the only other option: Kenshin Himura was the only other male old enough to hold the title of alpha and he was by far the most perplexing. For starters, he was almost as short as she was, and while there was an air of patient authority that clung to his shoulders… he just didn't fit the mold of any alpha that she had ever seen. Then there was the unexpected way her wolf had sat up and taken _notice_. She had seen him once or twice on the street and there had been a sharp awareness to him as he watched the streets that had made her sweat. But even under the uneasiness about possibly being found out, there was a lingering curiosity and interest that puzzled her.

Himura seemed to be in charge of the small store the pack had bought and then added a restaurant onto. They seemed to specialize in local game and to be willing to pay a fair price to anyone who brought meat in. She hadn't dared do more than ask polite, curious questions as she visited other places especially since she was suspicious that Himura was the one doing the cooking behind the counter.

Willing the heater in her jeep to warm up quicker than it was, Kaoru drove slowly into town. She had hoped to dig up some background on the pack and find out what she was getting into, but it was like they had disappeared out of all the public records or buried themselves so deep she couldn't find them. And she wasn't sure what the pack's policy was for rogue wolves, even if she was a female and had a prior claim to the territory. Her threat to them was limited, but experience had taught her enough of how packs tended to absorb female members with or without their permission. There was the occasional exception, and they would have to _work_ to hold her against her will, but if the numbers were big enough they could manage it.

From what she _could_ tell, the pack had moved into the area with the intention of settling down. She had chosen this town because it was close to the Børgefjell National Park. It was also just large enough that while everyone knew everyone, there was enough happening that the occasional loner was accepted. Part of that was _were_ magic – she was dominant enough to have it at her disposal without a pack.

Her fingers curled in frustration around her steering wheel. One reason for her choice to disappear into the sparsely populated, frozen landscape was the lack of competition for the territory. Most packs were interested in finding a place that they could dominate while building a steady income. Out here, you lived carefully. Resources weren't limited – the park was a fantastic place to run without the fear of humans – but the usual economic domination wasn't possible. Very few packs were willing to give up the luxury of the bigger cities, especially when those cities were in warmer climates.

So why had this one?

And why did they have to pick her town to do it? To think, six months ago her biggest worry had been building her nest egg and pondering the schematics behind installing a hot tub on the back of her wraparound porch. Shaking those thoughts off, she pulled into town.

It took her a bit longer than she thought it would to find everything she needed. The sheer amount of canned goods in her cart earned her some amused looks, but she ignored them in favor of the knowledge that she wasn't in the mood to buy another fire extinguisher.

The passenger seat was filled with bags when she was finished loading. Awareness sparked at the edge of her senses and she took a deep breath before relaxing at the familiar sense. Tae Sekihara was bustling down the street, her face practically hidden beneath the thick scarf wrapped around her nose. Kaoru still didn't know why she reacted to Tae as she did, Tae was _very_ human, but she had yet to register her as a threat.

"Kaoru!"

Tae had been a friend since she had moved into the frozen town, and had been more than willing to let her eat over while Kaoru had been going through her learning phase with the gas stove top. The slightly round woman bustled over, her eyes shining behind her scarf.

"Where have you been hiding?"

Kaoru winced a little, but kept her smile firmly in place.

"I've been buried under work." It was a half truth. Work had been strangely busy the last few months as she worked on her contracts. "In fact, the only reason I managed to break away from my current project is that I ran out of food." She moved her hand to indicate the stuffed condition of her jeep, and Tae sighed.

"I was afraid of that. Are you sure you don't at least have time to catch a fast lunch?"

"I wish I could."

That _was_ the truth. Tae was always up on the gossip of the town, and she really wanted to know what was going on with the new pack. Maybe Tae would know something. It really was unfortunate her friend was completely human. On the other hand, the idea of Tae as something _other_ was terrifying.

"Why don't you plan on coming over tomorrow," Kaoru offered. "I have some salted pork from the butcher, and it makes a good sandwich."

"I'll bring lunch," Tae said firmly. "You keep that… sandwich fodder for yourself."

Kaoru laughed. "It isn't that bad!"

"Only if you don't have taste buds killed from years of microwaveable meals." Tae returned with a frown. "I'll even spring for some of Kenshin's ribs."

"Kenshin?"

"You really haven't been in town for some time."

She tried to smile and failed.

"Kenshin Himura; he runs the new shop in town. I know you haven't missed it, no matter how deeply you have your nose buried in work. I'm just surprised you haven't made it in there yourself, considering your love affair with the local butcher."

Kaoru flushed. "Tae!"

Tae waved her hand. "It perks up his week to see you. Considering he has four grandchildren and another on the way, I can't decide if it's _you_ that perks up his day or the amount of goods you buy."

Kaoru shook her head. "I'm not rehashing this conversation with you. But I won't complain if you do show up with ribs tomorrow. It's too damn cold to grill outside myself and I'm half terrified if I tried, I'd blow something up."

Tae winced. "Please don't. Just, _don't_. I'll bring ribs and you just provide the dishes, okay?"

Kaoru shook her head and opened the door to her truck. "I promise not to cook anything. Want me to meet you at the road?"

"There's not enough snow to worry about getting stuck. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Deal."

X

Kenshin hummed to himself as he finished packaging a pound of smoked meat for a customer. The new cook was working out very well, with only a few mishaps over the past few days. While he enjoyed doing the cooking himself, he was needed up front of handle the customers. Aoshi was determined to be behind the scenes, and Misao's bustling personality was best served waiting tables handling the customers that Sano couldn't. Sano was good at running the actual shop, but the taller man was squeamish about the idea of packaging meat. Shaking his head at his beta's ridiculous fear of human's food, he rang up the ticket.

Things were working out here better than he had anticipated. Moving away from the over-populated territories in the US had done wonders for the pack. Aoshi and Misao were as relaxed as he had ever seen them, and while Cho and Kamatari were still jumpy, it was starting to ease at the edges. Yahiko was struggling to find his place, but he would manage. A slow smile curled along his mouth. He rather thought that the young witch who lived above Yahiko's apartment and worked at the local movie shop was going to go a long ways towards helping Yahiko adjust to the change. Sano… well, nothing besides a shortage of good alcohol would get his beta's personality down.

The only difficulty he could see in the lack of were-population was a chance for the unmatched to find mates. Well, Yahiko was clearly smitten and they'd see where that relationship went. Sano had never been particularly picky about his woman anyway. Having a type would have meant he was interested in more than just fun and Kenshin was fairly certain that would give his beta a case of hives.

Peeling off the latex gloves he wore when handling raw meat, he sighed. If he was honest, he seemed to be the only one feeling the bite of loneliness. It was a bit frustrating, as his pack filled his life in ways he had never expected, but there it was. It would have been nice to have an alpha female to help look after things, to share with, but Misao and the pups should have been enough to handle. Rolling his shoulders, he studied the chaotic bustle of the room in front of him, eyes scanning the customers. He had a job he enjoyed; a home that was comfortable even in harsh winter and his pack was safe and adjusting. The few enemies that remained were not going to look here and it gave them time to lick their wounds and mourn their losses.

Breathing in deeply he checked the air, a habit bred from those months of chaos and suspicion and he frowned. Narrowing his eyes, he took another deep, careful breath, sorting each scent individually. There. _Wolf_. An unfamiliar wolf whose scent was hidden beneath the faintest touch of jasmine and the heavy scent of spiced meat… an indirect transfer, then. When he took another breath, the illusive scent was gone.

_Damn_.

Nodding to Sano, he pulled off his apron and moved towards the back room. How had Aoshi missed another wolf in their territory? They had been there for nearly a year and they hadn't seen hide or hair of a wolf in this territory. It could be a rogue moving in, attempting to stake out the competition…

The Regional Pack was particular about who they let into the country. If Kenshin hadn't already had ties with the Alpha, he doubted they would have managed the move. He cursed under his breath. They needed to find the strange _were_ and deal with any potential problems and they needed to do it soon. He wouldn't allow anyone to interfere with his pack's safety, not this time.

X

There was a figure huddling on her deck when Kaoru pulled into her drive. Her inner wolf tensed and she let out just enough of the change to sharpen her eyes. It was possible that the person on the deck was just a decoy… Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh as she recognized the figure. _Megumi_.

Kaoru hadn't seen Megumi Tanuki in ten years. Leaving her groceries alone, she almost fell out of her jeep as she hurried to her friend. Megumi wasn't wearing a jacket. The way her lips were turning blue said that she should have shifted to wolf hours ago and there were large, dark circles under her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Where is your jacket? Why didn't you _change_? You can still freeze to death, you idiot!"

Megumi blinked at her and shivered. Kaoru ripped off her jacket and threw it around her shoulders before bodily hauling her to feet. Cursing freely, she fumbled with her keys and pushed the door open with her shoulder. Pulling her into the living room, she shoved her onto the rug next to the banked coals before pulling the afghan from the back of her couch and tucking it around Megumi's shaking shoulders.

It took her a moment to get the fire restarted before she made sure the central heating was turned up. Grabbing the extra blankets out of her hall closet, she moved back into the living room. Only once Megumi was well and thoroughly tucked in did she sit back and stare at her friend. Megumi was shivering hard enough to rattle her teeth, but at least the blue tinge to her lips was starting to fade. The blue had worried her, but the healer had at least had the strength to protect herself from frostbite.

"It looks like you're going to be okay." Kaoru said finally, moving to put on another log. The crackle of the fire was comforting even if it was going to be sweltering later on. Her unspoken questions hung between them – why was Megumi here; why had a healer let herself almost freeze to death; why did she look like she was being hunted? Megumi had been the closest she had ever come to have a pack member that wasn't blood family and her wolf was highly agitated to find her in this state.

Megumi squeezed her fingers around the blanket and then nodded. Kaoru sighed.

"I'll get the tea."

Megumi winced, but didn't complain. Lips quirking in a faintly amused smile, Kaoru moved into the kitchen. It didn't take long to turn the heated water into something passable as tea, and as an afterthought she grabbed the container of honey.

"What are you doing here, Megumi?" Kaoru asked quietly as she poured tea into two mugs. "When we split up ten years ago, you were headed to the U.S to track your family."

"I found them."

Kaoru blinked, surprised. "Then _why_ are you here?"

Reaching out with one long fingered hand, Megumi carefully wrapped her fingers around the mug. Pulling as far back into the blankets as she could without spilling the tea, she sighed.

"My pack had re-located, as we thought. It wasn't nearly as difficult to find them as I had expected. They were working for a trader of sorts, a man named Kanryu. Human, for all accounts and purposes – he had apparently attempted the change at one point in his life but was unable to complete it. Some humans have that built in immunity to _were_ magic…"

Kaoru frowned. "But most humans die from the infection if they can't change."

Megumi nodded and took a careful sip of her tea, before making a face and reaching for the honey. "Apparently, my grandfather prevented his death. But that doesn't matter… the point is, he survived and while he is clearly aging, he has dealings in pack business. I checked everything out as best I could. You _know_ I did my research before I even contacted my family's Alpha."

Kaoru frowned at the pained desperation in her normally unshakeable friend. Megumi _would_ have looked into the pack. After all the trouble they had gotten into in their dealings in Europe, both of them had learned to be a great deal more cautious when approaching a pack for possible membership. Kaoru had always been too dominant to be easily subdued and Megumi was a healer, which put her outside pack structure. It hadn't always saved them – they both had scars – but they had always managed to extract themselves from the worst of it.

"What happened?"

"At first it was fine. I enrolled in the local Medical Program, because I wanted something concrete to back my healing. Not long after I graduated, Kanryu approached me. He said that since he had paid my way through my courses that I owed him. I was surprised, because I had thought most of the schooling had been funded through the pack, but he had the paperwork…" She curled her fingers tightly together and for a moment, Kaoru was worried the mug would shatter.

"It was drugs; mostly wolfsbane and opium. I knew the pack was bringing in a sizeable income, but I never imagined… once I was conscripted, I was never let out of anyone's sight. Kanryu was determined to force me to make a more potent drug and I refused." Her eyes squeezed shut. "But for five years I was forced to make other drugs. I managed to avoid creating anything too potent but…"

Kaoru closed her eyes. She knew better than most the kind of position a woman could be put into in a pack – knew exactly what kind of leverage they would have used to hold Megumi. Her claws broke skin and she curled them into her palms, the sharp bite of pain holding her to her human skin.

"So you came here."

"I didn't know where else to go. I didn't know if you were still planning on settling in this country." Megumi whispered. "I didn't even have time to plan, not really. I found myself alone for the first time in five years and I just… _ran_."

Kaoru picked up her mug of tea and tried to think. "Olso has a strong pack that runs regional matters. It's probable that Kanryu will start there. Norway is sparsely populated in enough areas that he would have a hard time tracking you alone…"

"I… I managed to break the pack bond, but it slowed me down. Then I just… Once I landed in Norway, I just _knew_ how to find you. But I can't say if I was followed – Kanryu won't let me go easily. I did my best but…. Does the Regional Pack know about you?"

"No." Kaoru grimaced. It was extremely likely that Megumi was followed as far as Oslo, and it was likely that she might have managed to shake the trail after that. On the other hand, if Kanryu had access to enough funds, then someone would pick up her trail.

"However…"

"What?"

Kaoru sighed. "I'm not the only wolf here, Megumi."

Brows tucked together. "What do you mean? I didn't sense anyone else near here when I…"

"I know." There was a tinge of frustration in Kaoru's voice. "I don't think they have noticed me yet, but I've noticed them. They are definitely a wolf pack, although I'm not sure of the exact size. I haven't been able to pick out the alpha, must less the beta. Since I didn't bother registering with the Regional Pack, I can't contact them to find out who this pack _is_."

Megumi swallowed. "What are our odds of using them as cover?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I don't know. But someone is coming over tomorrow and I might be able to find something out."

Megumi's features were pinched. "If Kanryu manages to buy the Regional Pack off, a small pack here wouldn't have the muscle to say no."

"I don't know what the Regional Pack will do when Kanryu approaches them. Most packs here are strict about the drug trade and most don't tolerate it in their territories. That will work for us, but I doubt Kanryu will be honest about why he is looking for you. Any idea about the kind of muscle he will be sending?"

"No. There was an old bloodline he had working for him some ten years back, but they left without explanation. From what I understand, outside of my family, he has been forced to cobble together rogues and other unwanted enforcers. At least in the _were_ populations. His human ties are heavily influenced by the mob."

Kaoru nodded. "Well, nothing to do but find out what I can from Tae tomorrow and go from there. You need to rest. The guest bedroom has a bed, but I don't have any clean sheets for it. Take my room. I'll take the couch."

Megumi frowned. "Kaoru…"

Kaoru shook her head. "Hot shower and then bed; we'll get the other room sorted in the morning. Towels are in the cabinet in the bathroom. Clothes might be an issue, but I've got some oversized sweat pants and large t-shirts that will work for tonight."

Once Megumi disappeared around the corner, Kaoru reached up and rubbed her temples. Life had just gotten exceedingly more complicated. After her conversation with Tae she was going to have to do her own research into this Kanryu and maybe go on a run.

Despite all the trouble Megumi had brought with her, the chance to run with Megumi lifted her spirits. Her wolf was in complete agreement. Old friends were gifts, especially those who were pack in all the ways that mattered.

It was with a feeling of contentedness that she headed outside to collect her supplies.

X

"Whew, the wind today is just unnecessary," Tae huffed as she shifted the large picnic basket to the floor before shoving her bangs out of her eyes. "It just cuts you down to bone."

Kaoru pointed to the fire. "Go warm up; I'll get this laid out in the kitchen. Then we can eat."

"I won't argue with that. The ribs should be good at the temperature they're at. Everything else is served cold."

"Not taking the chance that I'd blow something up?" Kaoru asked as she moved into the kitchen.

"Of course not, dear; I just thought I'd save us both the work."

Kaoru snorted. Tae hadn't been around for the great grease fire in her kitchen, but she'd see the damage to the ceiling before Kaoru had repainted. Since then she'd been a tad over cautious when it came to visiting at meal times.

"Kaoru, if I'd known you had a guest I would have brought an extra serving."

Pausing, she turned and faced the living room, her brows tucking together. Tae was staring at the master bedroom, her expression not exactly uneasy, but there was a knowing there that Kaoru hadn't seen before.

"Tae?"

Tae turned and then blinked at the confusion on Kaoru's face. "Oh… oh dear. I apologize, but I thought you _knew_."

"Knew what?"

"I'm a witch." Her mouthed curved a little at the edges at Kaoru's startled expression. "Honestly Kaoru, you didn't think something was odd about someone of Japanese decent being in the middle of this landscape? Granted, it's more common now than it was when my mother moved here but…"

Kaoru made a face. "I hadn't thought about it. I have wolf magic, so it wasn't something I was worried about having it pointed out. As for you, I guess I wrote it off as having to do with the number of Japanese tourists that filters through."

"My mother was only half-Japanese. Full blooded witch. After she married my father, they traveled to Norway on vacation and it called to her. So they moved here a few years after I was born. There is a quite a community of those with _other_ blood that live here – I think it's the wildness of this country that calls us."

"Well, that explains a lot." Kaoru muttered. She hadn't really gone out of her way to look for anyone else who was _other_. She supposed that had been a little stupid on her part. Still, witches were even less likely to settle out in the middle of nowhere than wolves – most earned their trade through skills of hire. Most of the bigger families worked as mercenaries. She studied Tae and considered.

"So I take it you know about me, then?"

"That you're an alpha female without a pack? It's not exactly advertised, but those of us who have a little of the _other_ sense know."

Kaoru's brain blanked out at the word _alpha_. "What?"

Now Tae looked confused. "So you have a pack? We haven't _seen_ anyone else… and surely Kenshin would have noticed."

"What? _No_. But what makes you think I'm alpha?" Kaoru asked, hand waving around to convey the extent of her confusion. "I mean… _what_? I'm a rogue, yes, and dominant, but hardly what I would consider _alpha_."

Tae frowned a little. "Maybe I'm a little confused on the issue – outside of this year my experience has been a little limited – but do any females who aren't alpha manage to make it to rogue status?"

Kaoru frowned, considering the question. She could understand Tae's confusion. For the most part, wolves fell within three distinctions: alpha, dominant, or submissive. While it was true that most of the wolves that ended up wandering were male or occasionally a female alpha, she hadn't really bothered to check and see if her circumstances were unusual. She was wolf, she was dominant, and she was without a pack. It had to happen elsewhere. She had just gone longer than some before she found a pack to resettle with.

"I'm not certain; I haven't ever looked into it. But dominant isn't necessarily alpha and while I am certainly one it doesn't make me the other." She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and sighed. "Or at least I don't believe it does. Alpha takes something… _more_."

"And you don't believe you have it," Tae asked, dark eyes considering. "Well, I suppose we shall agree to disagree on that point, for now. I suppose that also explains why you have been avoiding Kenshin and his pack? This… rogue status?"

Kaoru grimaced and picked up a rib. "Something like that, yes. Packs aren't always…" she strove for the correct wording and sighed. "I have a history and it isn't always nice. Until I'm certain how this pack felt about having a rogue in their territory, I'm not willing to chance a confrontation."

Something like disappointment flickered across Tae's face and then was gone. "So you're not interested in joining their pack?"

"Not by force."

Tae blinked. "Force?"

Kaoru shrugged and took a bite of rib. Then she chewed slowly, because they _really_ _were_ good. Once she swallowed she sighed. "Part of what makes a rogue, well, _rogue_ is their unwillingness to submit. Being part of a pack… when it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it just gets worse. I'm not against being part of _a_ pack, but I'm also being practical – my wolf doesn't like to bend to anyone."

Tae arched a brow. "And you deny being alpha."

Kaoru shook her head. "I hear it's like that for a lot of dominant wolves. Female or male dominants, doesn't matter. Difference is, is that sometimes, the pack is strong enough to hold a female even if they want to be free."

"And you think… that Kenshin's pack might try to force you?" Tae said slowly.

"I counted six adult males and one adult female." Kaoru said with a shrug after she finished off her second rib. Six could be enough to force a member into their ranks if they had enough strength between them. She thought this pack might. "It's possible there are juvenile members that I haven't seen. I've made a point to stay out of their range. It's a small pack, but there is power there."

Tae pursed her lips. "Alright… and your houseguest? I can… sense wolf, I suppose, but not gender."

Kaoru shifted forward and picked up another handful of ribs. "What about my houseguest?"

"So, not a male then," Tae muttered before she daintily picked up a rib. "I suppose you agreed to have me over to pick me over about what I know about the new pack?"

Kaoru eyed her but Tae didn't seem included to poke her about Megumi. "You seem to be on first name basis with them."

Tae grinned. "You've eaten half a rack of ribs. Do you honestly think I'd not cultivate a friendship with someone who can cook like this? Even better, it's _take out_! And Tsubame will eat it! What I didn't understand was why _you_ hadn't become good and close friends if just for the food."

Kaoru rolled her eyes even as she sneaked the last rib off the plate. "Tae, while I realize that was part of it, spill the real reason."

Tae considered her and shrugged. "I was curious as to why a pack was moving into a territory previously claimed by someone who I was under the assumption was acting alpha."

"So you decided to… what? Integrate yourself as a spy?'

Tae smiled brightly. Kaoru closed her eyes and wondered if she started banging her head against the wall if it would make a difference. Reaching up, she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Tae."

"Oh hush, it was fun. Besides, it's a group worth looking at. I can tell you that Kenshin Himura is the alpha and his beta is Sanosuke Sagara. The others fall in a range of ranks, but clearly my ranking sense is off if you are not, in fact, an alpha."

Kaoru pointed a bone at her. "Drop it."

"_Anyway_, they seem to be settled in for the long haul. A regional wolf showed up once a month for the first three months, but then stopped visiting. Is that normal?"

"I don't know. I never bother to check in with the regional packs."

Tae seemed to be struggling with something, probably laughter, so Kaoru left her to it and polished off her ribs. While Tae gathered her composure, Kaoru considered bringing up Megumi's situation but decided against it. She needed to hash a few things out with Megumi first. Then she could talk to Tae.

"So other than the new pack, what gossip have I missed out on?"

Tae gave her a look that said she knew what Kaoru was doing, but she cheerfully went through her mental list of Things That Had Happened anyway, so Kaoru didn't complain. She listened a lot more carefully than she usually did, paying attention for any sign of a new arrival or someone moving into the area in the last week. If Megumi was followed, someone might have guessed where she was going and sent someone ahead, but that didn't appear to be the case. If Megumi kept her head down, then they might skate out of this relatively painlessly.

Tae looked at her watch and sighed. "Tsubame will be getting home soon and I should be there. She's been dating one of the local boys. I try to make sure I'm around afterward in case she wants to talk."

Kaoru nodded. "Tell her I said hello."

"Will do…" Tae paused and seemed to ponder her words for a moment. "I can't say I fully understand packs, Kaoru… but I have gotten to know Kenshin. I like him."

Kaoru tilted her head. "Tae?"

"You can't hide forever. If you need me, you know how to get in touch!"

Kaoru grimaced. She was aware that she couldn't hide forever. And if Megumi was going to stay with her for any extent of time, her ability to hide became even smaller. She glared at the pile of rib bones on her counter and sighed. She wondered if this Kenshin was the one who cooked.

Then she winced, because that kind of thinking told her that her wolf was curious. Curiosity had a way of biting her in the ass. It really didn't help that if she looked past his height and that head of hair – she found him attractive. And none of that would mean anything the minute he tried to force her or Megumi into his pack.

Kaoru shook her head and worked to clean up the mess that was her kitchen before Megumi was up and moving. Stretching, she considered her options. Tip-toeing to her room, she cracked open the door and considered the lump in her bed. Megumi had gotten up a little that morning but had been shooed back to bed when Kaoru had caught sight of the circles under her eyes. Odds were she'd sleep for a couple more hours.

The conversation with Tae had made her antsy and she needed to run. Megumi would be safe enough here. Padding on silent feet to her back door, she headed to out for a quick run to soothe her wolf.

X

Stretching her legs was the sort of meditative exercise that Kaoru needed after talking with Tae. Thankfully the wind had died down. She lived far enough from town – and on the opposite end from the other pack – that she wasn't worried about being found out just yet. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful, so she stuck to paths she knew. If anything had disturbed the area recently, she'd know. And she was careful. The wind was slight, hardly existent this afternoon but that was no reason to run close enough to town that her scent might have carried.

Fortunately, she still had several miles of leeway.

The sudden, sharp metallic scent of blood was almost a shock. Skidding to a stop, she went still and quiet, stretching her senses as far as she could – the forest was quiet, but not un-normally so for when a wolf was running. Feeling uneasy, she carefully picked her way through unruffled snow, following her nose. It was possible that it was nothing – there were other, non-were predators in the forest. But the scent was getting stronger the closer she drew and it was heavy enough that it had to be something large – they had red and roe deer and the occasional herd of wild reindeer, but the reindeer were rarely this close to the town.

Her heart started to hammer in her chest when she caught the unmistakable smell of werewolf.

She found him in snow that was untouched by footprints, a mangled body that was somehow still breathing. She shifted forms and gasped at the cold of the snow that bit into her unprotected feet and the bite against naked skin even as she scrambled forward. Her wolf senses told her there was nothing she could use to track whoever had done this. She had spent ten years traveling the world with Megumi, so every trained instinct she had screamed not to touch. If she had the time, she would have ran back and gotten Megumi so not to chance hurting him worse but she didn't think she had that kind of time.

Teenager. His face had been left untouched by whoever had hurt him but it was clear he was losing blood too fast. That might not kill him on its own, but his injuries would cripple him if she didn't get him to Megumi and fast. She was a mile or so out from her place and even werewolves weren't completely immune to frostbite. She'd have to hurry. A fireman's carry was risky, because she didn't know the extent of his internal injuries. On the other hand, it was the only way she'd manage to carry him when he had several inches on her; it'd also let her own magic hide both of them if this was indeed a Witch Trap. Good thing she was already going to have to call Tae.

She'd never have managed to get him on her back if she wasn't a wolf. Taking a deep, centering breath to block out how cold of a run this was going to be she took off in a dead run towards her cabin, trying not to count each jarring impact. She'd done the best she could do for him without someone who knew more than field medicine.

By the time her cabin came into view, her teeth were chattering and she was thankful she had the magic to cushion the areas of her body that needed it from the biting cold. The door banged open as she started up the stairs and Kaoru barely had the time to realize that Megumi had known she was needed before the body was being lifted off her shoulders and onto a cot – _where_? – in front of the fire.

"Dry off," Megumi snapped even as she started to examine the unconscious wolf. "The pot on the table is hot chocolate. Drink it after you're under those blankets – I shouldn't have to tell you to wrap up in the electric one first? Eat the trail mix. You looked fine for frostbite but I want you warm."

Orders given, she went to work.

Kaoru moved quickly, yanking on dry socks before tightly cocooning herself. Megumi was right, there was no sign of frostbite and she was just over-chilled; it wouldn't take long for her warm up. It would have been faster if she changed into wolf but Megumi would need the extra energy Kaoru could provide and changing wouldn't limit that, per se, but it would be easier to give as a human. Taking handful of the trail mix, she ate slowly – the sugar would give her something to burn for heat.

Kaoru had always known her friend was good. Megumi had been a naturally talented fifteen-year-old the first time Kaoru had met her. That meeting had gone badly – twelve-year-old Kaoru was in the system with parents recently buried and Megumi was an orphan who had somehow been misplaced by her pack during an emergency evacuation some six years earlier. That two _were_ had ended up in the same foster home, somehow slipping through the cracks of the packs around them –it had been both baffling and fortuitous. Two years later they had faked their ages and papers and taken off to explore the world and hunt down Megumi's family. It might have been better had they stayed in the United States, but the idea of adventure had appealed to both of them and there were other, wilder places that had seemed more exciting.

Twenty years later and the dominance issues their human foster parents hadn't been able to explain had settled and an easy, abiding friendship was in its place instead. Ten years without a word between them and somehow they had settled back into old places. Kaoru frowned. How _had_ Megumi known she was coming and Kaoru needed her help? Any pack bonds they might have formed should've _broken_ when Megumi rejoined her family and a-day-an- a-half should not have been enough to rebuild them.

Kaoru grimaced at what she knew Tae would say if she asked.

Megumi sat back and sighed, her face a little pale in the firelight. "He's stable."

Kaoru had stopped shivering so she didn't feel guilty that she hadn't touched the cocoa. "Something mauled him."

"Mauled is the appropriate word. I haven't seen someone this badly torn up since those dominance fights in Venice fifteen years back. I'd put him around sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. He isn't quite adult but he's losing the feeling of a juvenile." Megumi turned and studied her before nodding. "You're okay."

"Figured I would be; it was only about a mile run. Thought I'd better risk it for the kid. Couldn't figure out a way to carry him as a wolf."

Megumi nodded. "He's going to need several more healing sessions and I'm worried about the damage done to his left leg, but it should heal okay if he doesn't tax it."

Kaoru rubbed her hands over her face. "Good. That's good."

"Who is he, Kaoru?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I haven't seen him before, but I can guess. I better make a few calls before someone tracks him here."

Megumi looked alarmed. "Someone might track him?"

"Meadow was wiped clean where I found him. Not even a damn deer print. Sound like anything you know?"

"Witch."

"Exactly," Kaoru agreed. "Good news is we happen to have a witch that can help with this little clean up. Bad news is we've got to out ourselves to the pack that's moved in. I've got a feeling this is one of theirs."

Megumi bit her lip. "You think this was done by an enemy of the _pack_?"

"I don't know." Kaoru took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It would make some sort of sense, but my gut doesn't like it. I think, somehow, Kanryu tracked you as far as the town. Something messed up his trackers ability to find you after that – probably the pack."

"How?"

"I don't know." She motioned with one hand towards the injured teenager. "But the best way to bring a healer out of hiding? Lure them out. Let's just hope they didn't have that field set to track me. I didn't sense any spells, but I can't be sure. If we're lucky, whatever they're planning hasn't managed to be put into place yet and we can explain things to the pack before things get complicated."

Megumi closed her eyes wearily. "I think things are already complicated."

Kaoru shrugged before grinning faintly. "Just like old times, eh?"

"May the moon have mercy on us," Megumi replied. "Because I'm not sure anyone else will."

X

When Tsubame had called, worried because Yahiko had missed their date, Kenshin had been concerned and sent Kamatari off to see what had kept him, but hadn't worried excessively. Yahiko had been moody lately and his wolf had seemed agitated about something more than just the usual teenage shift from juvenile to adult and the change of dominance that came with it. But even with all that, Yahiko hadn't missed a date before this one with the cute witch who he seemed to be seriously interested in. When Kamatari showed up three hours later without any sign of him, Kenshin had put out a pack alert.

That had been two hours ago.

Five hours and one of his pack had disappeared around the same time he had caught the scent of a strange _were_. Now his wolf was agitated and the pack was combing their territory for any sign of trouble. Shinomori had cancelled his dinner meeting with some foreign businessman looking at some hunting rights for the land they owned. So far, they were coming up short; everything was starting to look too clean. Instinct itched at him and he was pulling his cell phone free of his belt to call Tae – this clean stunk of Witch – when an unfamiliar number popped up on his caller I.D.

"Himura."

There was a pause before a female voice echoed down the line. "My name is Kaoru. I believe I have one of your pack members."

Kenshin went hunting-still. "Do you?"

Some of the wolf must have bled through his voice because when she spoke again, her voice held _bite_. "He's alive and recovering from a severe mauling. You can stop snarling at me, since I'm the one who saved his life. Tae Sekihara gave me your number; she'll speak for me if you would prefer to have an outside opinion on the matter."

Inexplicably, the temper in her tone eased his. Taking a deep breath, he chose his next words carefully. "I thank you for Yahiko's life. How badly is he hurt?"

"The worst of the injuries have been treated. My roommate is a doctor. It would be best if you came and collected him; Tae says you are strong enough as a pack to accelerate his healing when in close proximity."

Kenshin considered that. Whoever this Kaoru was – he thought he'd learned the names of everyone in the small town – she clearly had some sort of connection to _others_, or at least Tae trusted her explicitly. He grimaced. If she had stumbled upon a wolf attack she would have had to have been told to take precautions. That Yahiko hadn't hurt her or her doctor friend – again, he wasn't aware of a doctor he didn't know… – spoke to the severity of his injuries.

"We would be happy to take him. Where do you live?"

Another of those pauses that made him wonder. "Tae will be driving out here shortly. You may follow her."

The sound of the line disconnecting made him blink. Shaking off his curiosity and the lack of wolf-irritation at her rudeness, he went to find Sano and Misao. He could handle the move on his own, but it never hurt to have extra pack members on hand when one of their own was injured. Aoshi would be interested in tracking down the attacker as soon as they had more information, so there was no point in making the trip out to Kaoru's and then back into town to his office.

Tae was waiting for them by the time they showed up outside her shop. Her car was nowhere to be seen and she looked preoccupied, a frown line between her brows as she let Sano help her into the pack jeep. Kenshin didn't blame her. If he was right, there was at least one witch who had been involved in the attack on Yahiko, not to mention the strange wolf he had scented earlier yesterday. Somehow, two _others_ had managed to hide from all of them and it made him cranky. He felt itchy and the need to bite at something was growing the longer it was taking to get Yahiko and make him _safe_.

"Why didn't you tell us there were humans who knew about the _were_ community?" Misao asked once they were out of the town and moving down a narrow road. Kenshin was relieved at the sudden conversation – the tension was starting to become palpable.

Tae seemed to choke on air.

Sano turned around in his seat and frowned at her. "You okay?"

She waved him off and swallowed several times before trying to speak. "Human?"

Misao tilted her head, eyes curious. "Kaoru? She knew awful lot for someone who wasn't an _other_, so we figured you had let her in on some of it when she called."

"I told her your pack could sustain the healing energy required to help mend Yahiko, but I don't understand…" her face took on a bewildered look. "_Who_ is human? It's a left here, Kenshin. It's the last place on the left, right before the road runs out."

Misao brightened. "Oh, she's a witch then? Well that explains how she managed to help patch up Yahiko, even if her friend is a doctor. I was wondering how they found him."

Tae opened her mouth and then shut it. Something like anticipation crossed her face as Kenshin eased into the driveway. "Kaoru isn't a witch, but she is part of the local community. She's lived here about three years now but she's shy. Doesn't really like a lot of contact with outsiders."

Tae seemed to be in a hurry to get of the Jeep. Kenshin watched her bound up the stairs, puzzled. Tae wasn't usually this bothered by the cold. He took a moment to calm himself before following. There was no need to let his wolf out and scare this new witch; it certainly didn't make the wolf any happier that he now had two witches he had somehow not identified. Once Yahiko was tucked into his own bed Kenshin knew he would calm down considerably, although he'd still be on edge until they'd caught and dismembered whoever had attacked his pack.

"Kaoru darling, you could have at least _warned_ them."

Kenshin frowned at the laughter in the witch's tone. There was something tugging at his senses but the scent of blood was too heavy to get a good grasp on what it was. It wasn't until he stepped inside that he realized what he was feeling wasn't witch magic – but wolf. The air was heavy with wolf healing magic. His eyes narrowed as his wolf violently pushed to the surface and he realized exactly why Tae had been so flabbergasted in the car.

This Kaoru was _wolf_.

Three years. Tae said she had lived in the area for three years, which meant she had kept under the radar of his pack and the Regional Pack. Before he could start asking the questions that needed to be answered _very soon_, his gaze finally landed on the dark haired woman standing partially in front of the cot that held Yahiko.

And as his gaze met hers – dark blue threaded with lighter wolf-blue – he felt the punch of her in his gut and wondered how he could have missed her at all.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Please Comment<em>**


	2. Chapter 2

And here is Part II! This story is now complete. And no, before you ask, right now I don't have any plans of writing a sequel. =)

Thanks for helping with plot/grammar/anything else goes to: Jane Drew, Dragonsdaughter, Some Scribbles, damewren(LJ), Ookami-chan and LordrandallsLady. (Yes, it really does take this many people to help contain the muse...) For those of you who are over the age of 17, I'll be posting the smuttier version on LJ or .Moon either today or later in the week.

Hope you enjoy!

Ravyn

* * *

><p>Kaoru hadn't been really happy about inviting Kenshin and his pack over to help heal Yahiko. But Megumi was starting to look pinched around the corners of her mouth and she wasn't drawing nearly as much energy as she should have off Kaoru. Her privacy was important, but Megumi's health was more so.<p>

If she had to invite this new alpha into her home, she might as well do it when she had some leverage to force him to behave. If they were really interested in healing Yahiko they wouldn't have the energy to try to force her compliance through pack magic – and Tae was there. She could trust Tae to watch her back.

So now she had a redheaded alpha whose eyes were bleeding wolf-amber and studying her through a fringe of dark lashes in her living room. It only took a moment under that searing glance for him to confirm what Kaoru already knew – her wolf liked him. That he was so obviously furious at the situation didn't do anything to change that like; if one of her pack was mauled and in the home of a stranger, she'd react that same way.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

Determinedly, she shifted her attention to Tae and answered the statement that had been a question what felt longer than only a few moments ago. "I thought you'd have filled them in on the ride over."

Then the small, dark haired woman from Himura's pack stepped forward, brows tucked together. "You should have announced yourself."

Kaoru glanced over and her and frowned. She didn't know the small woman's name but the man she was standing next to was the beta, Sano. So the odds were Himura had brought his upper level pack with him. And the strange wolf was trying to censure her on pack behavior in Kaoru's living room. Her temper snapped at its leash.

"_I _have a prior claim. I don't have to announce_ anything_."

Thankfully, Megumi walked back into the room from where Kaoru had banished her to lay down while they were waiting on Tae to bring the pack. Kaoru blinked when she realized that Megumi was still wearing Kaoru's oversized, cut off sweats and a shirt that was almost too small. She hesitated at the door and took in the room and Kaoru refused to acknowledge the way she seemed to pause on Himura.

"I see they made it then."

It was with a great deal of control that Kaoru didn't shift to block Megumi from the sudden sharp interest she could feel from Sagara. Megumi's amusement disappeared and a frown tugged at her mouth. She shifted her weight backwards, clearly uncomfortable with the attention when she was dressed in clothes that weren't hers and the wrong sizes.

"Do you have something I can serve as refreshments for your guests?" Tae asked as she slipped into the kitchen.

"They aren't guests." Kaoru said flatly, letting her voice carry down the hall. She was starting to feel testy with all this attention and she decided she wanted them gone. "They are here for Yahiko and then they can leave. Megumi or I will take you back into town if you 're going to need some time to examine everything, Tae."

Kaoru frowned at Himura when he prowled several feet closer, sharp gold eyes narrowing. He wasn't doing much to leash his dominance and it pressed against her, testing her spine. It was clear that he was pissed and she felt herself responding in kind. That she could feel how uneasy Megumi was did nothing to help.

"You have something to examine that deals with one of my pack being attacked and believe that I'll just leave?"

Kaoru met that gaze head on and growled back. "I believe that I have something I'd like Tae to look at that deals with having one of your pack dropped unwanted into _my territory_. If that information later leads to discovering who was involved in attacking your juvenile, I'm sure Tae will be happy to pass that along."

"I'm not leaving." Kenshin told her in a quiet voice that had steel backing it. "If you want to fight, three to two are not good odds. And your healer is drained."

Kaoru dropped any pretenses of playing nice and bared her teeth.

Tae stuck her head around the corner, a disapproving look on her face. "Three to three, Kenshin – it's Kaoru's house. I'm siding with her; which is why you'll settle this outside a dominance fight. Kaoru, Kenshin is not the enemy here. Play nice."

Kaoru's wolf settled in amusement at the nearly imperceptible widening of Himura's eyes. Tae was hers _first_. But the human side of Kaoru wasn't so easily set at ease. There was something calculating about the redhead she wasn't certain she could let her guard down around. Not to mention the sharp eyes watching her from the pack members.

"This is my territory." She sunk her dominance into those words and made them stick.

Himura took a deep breath and let it out slowly and a little of the amber darkened into something nearly blue. "I apologize. Our move here was predicated on… unacceptable circumstances. Yahiko's injury has brought those to the front."

The sudden change from amber eyed and angry to this… was startling. It also spoke of a great deal of control. There was still that unnerving intensity, but that was probably just the alpha in him. She wasn't willing to relax, but he hadn't tried anything underhanded. Yet. And reacting badly to past memories was something she understood. But that didn't mean she could let his actions go unchallenged.

"It seems to be something that is going around. Don't try to bully me again in my house and I'll make an effort to play nice." She finally stepped away from the cot and moved into the kitchen, motioning Megumi to head in first. "Take your time in looking after your pack member. We'll see what Tae is up too in my kitchen."

Kenshin waited until the count of ten before moving to see what he could of Yahiko's injuries. The worst were heavily bandaged but all of them were missing the smell of infection. It took only a few seconds for him to gather the pack's magic and weave it through the efficient healing spells already in place. Even with Kaoru dominating the room the way she had, he hadn't missed how tired the healer was. Hopefully this would ease most of that strain.

Reaching out he carefully settled his hand along Yahiko's jaw, holding it there so that Yahiko would feel him. It would help as much as the magic. Keeping his voice low, he spoke.

"What do you think?"

"Prickly little female alpha," Sano muttered, eyes on the doorway. "Not sure I want to know what would send one that strong out here into this frozen country by herself."

"She and the healer are pack," Misao said immediately once Sano finished. "The bond is odd, but strong. I seriously thought there might be blood when Sano was devouring the healer with his eyes."

Kenshin glanced at Sano and frowned. He hadn't even noticed. The healer _was_ attractive under her exhaustion. He should have know that Sano couldn't keep his eyes to himself but he had been far more interested in a pair of snapping blue eyes that bled into wolf.

"Don't glare at me. I thought Kaoru was going to knock you on your ass and rearrange your insides while you were deciding just how long it was going to take to get her into bed." Sano protested.

Kenshin ignored Sano. Even if for once his statement wasn't entirely off the mark. It was surprising that his wolf had taken so forcefully to the small alpha with barely more than a verbal dominance fight but it had. Now he was going to have to deal with it.

"Kaoru has prior claim, even if the Regional Pack obviously doesn't know about her. That's going to limit our ability to insert ourselves into her affairs." And if he read her right, she was extremely suspicious and unhappy with their presence. He was going to have to be very careful in how he approached this.

Misao nodded. "We move Yahiko; she's going do everything she can to lock us out. We're reading this right, aren't we? You _are_ interested in her?"

Kenshin let a smile curl his lips. He should have known that if Sano was that close to getting it right that Misao would have been all over it. "She's feisty isn't she? I'm not sure she's comfortable with her dominance and that could play to our advantage."

Give him something to work with in gentling her a little and getting her to let him in.

"She seemed pretty ready to defend herself if necessary," Misao warned. "She felt like alpha to me and she seems to know she's dominant by the way she threw her weight around; maybe it's the alpha she doesn't quite grasp. If she hasn't had a lot of exposure to a pack she may…"

Tae walked into a room carrying a tray. "Kaoru is bringing the sandwiches. I came to warn you… " She eyed them. "You hurt her in any way; you'll be spending the year as were-rabbits."

Misao blinked at her. "You can do that?"

Tae leveled her with a look. "If you're volunteering…"

Sano glared at Misao. "We'll be good."

"See that you are."

X

Kaoru only had a few minutes to speak with Megumi and she kept her voice lowered as she stood over the tray of sandwiches that Tae had put together. "We might have a problem."

Megumi blinked. "What?"

"My wolf likes Himura."

"What?" She looked stunned. "But your wolf doesn't like anyone…"

"That's not the part that has me worried. If Himura somehow manages to prove that he won't force us into his pack, I'm likely to jump his bones."

Megumi spluttered out a laugh and caught herself, eyes darting to the hallway. "Kaoru!"

She flushed. "I can't help it, okay? She's been interested since she first caught sight of him and his… over-protectiveness in there amused her. He's pushy, but he cares." She shrugged uncomfortably.

Megumi arched one perfect eyebrow. "And what does Kaoru think?"

Kaoru hefted the tray and sighed before leaning closer and nearly mouthing the next sentence. "Kaoru really wishes he wasn't so pretty."

Tae and the pack members were huddled around Yahiko. She felt Megumi's sigh of relief and realized they must have been taking the brunt of the work from her. Good. That meant they could get out of her house that much sooner. She was torn between hoping Himura would prove himself and being overly cautious about him, because if he did try to force a pack membership, it would hurt her wolf.

Megumi was right. Her wolf rarely liked anyone. For good reason. They weren't _hers_.

Kaoru grimaced when she realized how close her thoughts were starting to sound to the way an alpha thought. She was going to strangle Tae for putting that idea in her head. But first she had to clear these strangers out of her house.

"Megumi can do one more check up before you head out." Kaoru said as she sat the food down. Eating the sandwiches wouldn't take long and then they'd be out of her hair for a few hours at least. She was expecting Tae to confirm that witch-magic had been used at the site where she found Yahiko – which meant she'd be forced to call Kenshin and tell him. It was also likely she'd have to spill the details on the Kanryu problem if it was at all possible he was behind the attack in an attempt to draw Megumi out.

But at least he wouldn't be in her house when that happened.

Himura looked up. "That would be appreciated."

Sanosuke wandered over and picked up a sandwich, taking a large bite and grunting his agreement. At least someone had drilled it into his head not to talk with a full mouth. She ignored Tae's amused face as Megumi worked.

Megumi sighed as she finished checking Yahiko over and then grimaced. Kaoru frowned at her, noting the suddenly tense set to her friend's shoulders. Ignoring the way she could feel Himura watching her, she arched a brow in question. The pure frustration in Megumi's face told her what was going on without Megumi having to say a word.

Kaoru tapped her fingers on her jeans and stared at her. "You're sure?"

Megumi sat down on the low chair next to the cot and looked like she'd swallowed a live frog. "Unfortunately."

"Is there a problem?" Himura's voice was low and very, very close. Glancing over, she tried not to notice the automatic way she breathed in the scent of him and stubbornly ignored the flutter that came with just how good he smelled.

"Megumi's wolf has taken responsibility for Yahiko."

Himura blinked. "I haven't worked with a pack healer in a very long time. What does that mean?"

"It means," Megumi said in a clear, tight voice. "That _I'll _be making sure he is healed."

Sano looked over, both brows arched into his hairline. "You don't sound happy about that."

Kaoru leaned back onto her heels and scowled. "That's because it means he's staying here."

Himura tilted his head, brows lifted. "What?"

Kaoru ignored him. "Megumi, does this have to with corresponding events or is this just your wolf needing to heal?"

Megumi pressed her lips together for a long moment. "Both."

Kaoru refrained from cursing, because she could already feel the heat of Himura's eyes on her and she was certain if she let go of even an inch of control he'd take it as a chance to gain the advantage. Teeth locked together she tried to think. If Yahiko stayed here she would be duty-bound to explain her and Megumi's suspicions. Pretty much immediately. If she had managed to get the pack out of the house then they could delayed that conversation until they had proof. Now…

"Is there a problem?" Himura asked again, his voice layered with something rich. Kaoru wondered what he was thinking and refused to look at him.

"There is a possibility," Kaoru said finally before turning to Tae. "You up for a hike?"

"Of course. I hope it isn't long." She arched a brow in question.

"Only about a mile or so. Shouldn't take us too long to get there and back." Kaoru shifted her weight and pinned Himura with her eyes before he did more than open his mouth. "No. You're not invited. You will stay here and not bother my healer until I get back."

His eyes flooded with wolf but she held her ground. For a moment she thought he was going to push his luck and the muscles in her neck went tight. Then he took a step back and visibly controlled himself.

"When will you return?"

Kaoru lowered her lashes and watched him. There was no way he was giving in this easily, except it seemed he was. Deciding to worry about that later she considered and shrugged. "No more than an hour."

"Then I'll see you when you return."

Kaoru glanced at Megumi who waved her away. "You'll know if I need you. Go."

X

Kenshin watched Kaoru and Tae disappear into the tree line and slowly unlocked his jaw. It had taken more control than he had thought to watch her disappear into an area that had already proved unsafe. Worse was the fact that she was clearly hiding something and wherever she found the body was the key to knowing what it was. He liked puzzles, usually, but found that this time he was very willing to just cut to the heart of the matter. His patience was running thin.

He glanced over at Misao whose brows were bunched together in a frown as she listened to whatever it was that Aoshi was saying. She had called to let him in on what they learned so far, little as it might have been. Still, if he knew Aoshi, he was already digging into the background of Kaoru and Megumi – or at least tying too.

His eyes cut over to study the healer, who was sitting beside Yahiko with a tired expression on her face. He wondered about Misao's comment earlier. How much experience _did_ these two have with a pack? If neither had been part of a true structure then it was likely that Kaoru was unaware of the true extent of her dominance. It happened occasionally, in smaller packs that had disbanded with the death of the alpha pair or in single family units. Not often, but enough that packs occasionally ran into the situation. Having grown up in a large pack with two alpha born males, he was very aware of what could push an alpha to roam for new territory.

Interesting that Kaoru thought her level of protectiveness was just a trait of dominant members. He would have to be careful with just how hard he pushed, because she was going to push back. And unless he was completely mistaken her hot button was going to be the healer her wolf had claimed as pack.

"Save half that plate for Kaoru when she and Tae get back. She'll need the fuel." The healer's voice cut coolly through the silence and Kenshin turned and smiled to see Sano guilty hovering over his third.

"If we are going to be here for an extended meal, I'll be happy to put something together." Kenshin offered, trying to defuse the situation. The healer's dark eyes swung to him and she snorted.

"If you think Kaoru is letting you in her kitchen, you are mistaken."

Misao perked up as she handed Kenshin his cell phone. "She likes to cook?"

The healer blinked several times, a smile curving the edges of her lips for a moment. Instead of answering the question, she shrugged. "Tae will want to put the meal together, anyhow. Now, do you have names?"

Kenshin started when he realized she was right. They hadn't introduced themselves. Another reason for Kaoru to be on edge around them, he sighed mentally. It was a wonder he had done anything right since he stepped in the door.

"My apologies. I am Kenshin Himura. Sanosuke Sagara is our beta, and this is Misao Shinomori."

"I'm Megumi… did you say Shinomori?"

Misao tilted her head. "Do you know him?"

Megumi's mouth went tight. "No. The name just sounds familiar."

There was several minutes of silence after that and Kenshin looked at Yahiko.

"Can you tell us what is wrong with him?"

"I can't speak for more than the injuries from the mauling," Megumi informed him curtly. "The worst of the damage is to his legs – other than the punctures and muscle tearing, there was significant damage done to his right femur. Most of the superficial damage hasn't been healed yet because of the bone work I had to do. He has three broken fingers and a broke ulna on the left arm. The right arm was dislocated, had several punctures from bites, and, again, significant muscle damage. His back was serrated from being dragged across the ground and he has a concussion from a head wound. There are defense wounds on the palms of his hands, and it appears from the broken fingers that he tried to fight back."

Kenshin saw Sano's knuckles fist so tightly that they went white and he struggled not to have a similar reaction. Or break something. Closing his eyes tightly, he worked to keep the wolf under his skin.

"But Yahiko knows how to fight!" Misao protested her voice tight. "To get this kind of jump on him…"

"It was a witch."

Kenshin spun and blinked at a flushed Kaoru and wind-blown Tae standing in the doorway.

"Kaoru?" Megumi's voice was alarmed.

Kaoru met her gaze. "Someone else had been back to the scene. I thought it was prudent to speed things up."

Tae walked over and sat down. "When you said you could run, dear, you were not kidding. I feel windblown and all I did was cling to your back."

Kenshin felt the wolf go hunter-quiet when Kaoru's wolf blue eyes met his. There was something about her that made the hair on the back of his neck raise – she was furious. Instead of joining her on that edge of rage, his wolf studied her and liked what it saw.

"Do you have anyone who would be hunting your pack, Himura?"

"No," he said quietly. "Any threats that might have followed us were dealt with permanently before we finalized the move."

"Then it appears we have a problem." Kaoru glanced at Megumi. "I find it difficult to believe that you would be found so quickly. Or that he would be stupid enough to use another pack as bait."

Tae held up her hand. "If this is going to be as involved as I think it is, we better make ourselves comfortable. Everyone, sit."

Kenshin considered balking, because his wolf needed to _do something_ but then Tae pinned him with that look he hadn't ever really tried to disobey and he sighed and settled. Some battles just weren't worth the energy. He stifled his instinctual reaction of snarling when Kaoru settled on the opposite couch; her eyes still that wild pale blue.

Tae settled her hands in her lap. "Now, start from the top."

Kaoru studied Tae's set expression before glancing at Megumi. She looked pale, but she gave a nod. Kaoru glanced at Kenshin and tried not to wince at the diamond hard expression in his eyes. It looked like they were going to have that conversation now.

Kaoru laced her fingers together to keep them still and considered where to start. Some of the facts the pack would need to know but the rest of it was Megumi's business. She'd protect what she could. "What do you know of a man named Kanryu Takeda?"

Sano sat up straight and his eyes flashed. "That drug-making bastard? What the hell are you doing mixed up with someone like him?"

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "Megumi and I go way back. About ten years ago we split up for reasons that _aren't any of your business_ and she went and found her father's family. I told you she was a doctor and that was the truth. However, after she completed her training, she was indentured by her pack and forced to work for Kanryu."

Sano's head jerked back like he'd been slapped. Kaoru kept her eyes on him and let Tae watch Kenshin. Those brown eyes had gone wolf yellow and he looked furious. If he so much as twitched in Megumi's direction she'd take him down.

"What was her family's name?" Misao asked.

Megumi spoke quietly, "Takani."

Sano growled and stood; Kaoru was between him and Megumi before he finished snarling. Her wolf was bristling but Sano hadn't done more than stand, so she was able to keep from lunging. She knew Himura had stood as well, but she ignored him for the closer threat.

"Let me make something clear, Sagara," Kaoru murmured her voice rough with wolf. "Megumi is _mine_. You _think_ about hurting her and I'll tear you apart."

Himura moved closer but he seemed to be… calm. Calmer than her, at least. "Sano, we don't know the whole story yet. Sit _down_."

Sano turned and looked at his alpha, the wolf clear in his eyes. "She worked _for Kanryu_."

Kaoru bristled at the hatred in his voice and her temper snapped. "Not because she wanted too. Do you know what a pack can force a woman to do, Sanosuke Sagara? I spent ten years roaming Europe, and I assure you, I've seen the extent of the abuse that can permeate a pack. Do you know what healers _do_? _They heal_, Sagara. Do you know what kind of _torture_ it is to force someone with that kind of mentality to make something as harmful as drugs?" She took a step closer and held his gaze and the wolf rode her temper. "They have to force you. They use your pack bonds against you and _force you_ to corrupt yourself so they _can make a profit."_

Those wolf eyes met hers and some of the anger drained out of them. And she realized she was growling low in her throat and deliberately took a step back. Her shoulder brushed against Himura and she clenched her teeth. He was too close. She cut her eyes over, intending to tell him to back off but his eyes were so, _so_ pale and there was a quality to the way he was standing that told her he was standing on edge. She held that gaze and dared him.

She'd take him down with her if he attacked.

Then he was so close his hair brushed her chin and she refused to back down. The edges of her vision had shifted to wolf sharp and she knew if he pushed, she would lose her human skin and go for his throat. Instead he tilted his chin down so his mouth was a hair's breadth from hers.

"Little alpha, we're not here to hurt you or yours." His voice was more rumble than words and she narrowed her eyes. When he spoke again, he had moved close enough that if she shifted forward at all, her chest would brush against his. "Two years ago, Sano's pack-brothers died because of tainted opium that was tracked back to Kanryu's distributors. Six months ago, our pack lost four members to another attack that was unrelated."

Her wolf was bristling but it was listening.

"Whatever is going on with Kanryu, he has brought my pack into this with the attack on Yahiko. If we are going to share this territory, we're going to need to learn how to tolerate each other's dominance. Sano may not like it, but he won't hurt Megumi."

Kaoru's wolf went still and silent at the world 'share.'

"My pack has never forced a membership and it _never will_." Himura said in tones that were backed in steel. But then his lashes lowered and something hot flared behind the gold of the wolf. The edge of his mouth curled just enough that she caught a glimmer of teeth.

"But that doesn't mean," he murmured, his voice low and thick with wolf. "That I won't work to encourage you to join by other means."

And just like that, her wolf sat back and settled. She blinked when she felt the worst of her aggression disappear and she had the sudden urge to push that last inch between them aside and breathe against his skin. And she wasn't as nearly as dismayed by that as she should have been.

He said he was willing to share the territory. No forcing his control over her and Megumi. And he had called her alpha and this time, her wolf _hadn't_ protested because Megumi _was hers_ to defend and his beta had challenged Megumi. Himura's response to her anger had been appropriate without being over-bearing.

… she really was going to end up shoving him up against something hard and flat if she didn't watch herself. Taking a deep breath, and working hard not to notice only his scent, she took a step back to show that she wasn't going to attack. But she stayed carefully between Sagara and Megumi anyway.

Issue resolved or not, her wolf was still unhappy with Sagara's aggression.

"Well, now that that's settled, maybe you could finish your story Kaoru? And look, they saved us some of the sandwiches!" Tae broke into the silence with an overly cheerful voice that made Kaoru look at her. And what she saw in that round, devious face almost made her blanch.

Tae was enjoying this _way_ too much.

"There isn't much more to tell," Kaoru said finally. Himura's comment about sharing had made her more willing to talk but she did not make the mistake of assuming Megumi felt the same way. "Megumi escaped and came here. She believes she was followed but she has only been in the town for two days. I find it difficult to believe that Kanryu would have been able to find her exact location this easily. Especially since Megumi was able to break the pack bonds once she had some distance."

Himura shifted his weight, drawing the attention back to him. "That is a small window of time. It would depend entirely if Megumi was being tracked by his people or the pack's."

Megumi looked pensive. "They are not mutually exclusive. From what little I was allowed to see outside the labs, what remains of my father's family appears to be heavily integrated into Kanryu's organization. Separation seems to be mostly in their paper trails and they use to recruits are kept separate.

Kaoru frowned. "I don't know enough about how the packs are run in the United States. Is that sort of separation common?"

Kenshin tilted his head and considered her. "It is if you are trying to hide something. The Regional Packs are mostly against packs aiding the drug trade – that this particular pack has chosen to do so and hide its affiliation would not be taken well."

"They could be angling to make a play for the regional seat." Sano said finally, his fists clenching and unclenching. "If they were using the drug money to fund their campaign, word getting out about their side business would be detrimental."

Misao bounced on her toes for a moment. "I have some contacts that might know. I can put out some feelers and Aoshi can see what he can dig up."

Kenshin glanced at Kaoru to see if she objected but she simply watched him so he nodded, giving Misao the go ahead. Giving Shinomori direction instead of names would narrow the field he needed to search. Kenshin didn't doubt that Aoshi had already dug through the property taxes for Kaoru's personal information and was using that to search out her history, but having Kanryu to focus on would give him a second search parameter.

He turned back to Kaoru and watched her frown into space, fingers tapping against her thigh as she obviously tried to work through a problem. It made him want to stroke her so he put his hands in his pockets and watched instead.

"Something bothering you?" The wolf had retreated behind the dark blue of her eyes but he found he was just as partial to the human shade. The way she blatantly judged him, measured if she wanted to involve him in her thoughts, delighted his wolf.

Finally, she sighed and raked a hand through her bangs. "I'm not happy with the timeline."

Tae butted into the conversation. "Why not? It's possible that he had a witch or someone other than the pack tracking Megumi and that's how he located her so quickly."

Kaoru huffed out a breath. "Then why attack Yahiko? Why not just attack Megumi here? I originally thought that perhaps he was using the attack to draw out Megumi as a healer but now I'm not so sure. Something just seems off."

And her wolf was riding her hard about this. It didn't like it either and Kaoru trusted her wolf instincts. There was something else going on here. Finally she shoved her hands into her pockets and scowled.

"Are you sure your pack doesn't have some sort of connection to Kanryu that we've missed? Could have for some inexplicable reason hunted _you_ here?" At the poleaxed expression on the faces around her she turned to Megumi, who had been sitting very quiet after the confrontation between alphas.

"Didn't you say the name Shinomori was familiar? When did you hear it? I don't know the name and you would have at least mentioned the name to me if you had learned it before we separated."

Megumi pressed her lips together as she obviously thought through her memories. "I don't know. It's possible that I heard it through one of Kanryu's men but it's also possible that I heard it somewhere else. I don't know."

Misao had rejoined the conversation in time to hear Kaoru's question to Megumi and she was no staring at Sano. "How long was it after your pack-brothers deaths that you met up with Kenshin?"

Sano cocked his head. "About a year, I think. It was another three years before Kenshin and I met you; I was pretty messed up when I was by myself. Hard to remember exactly how much time elapsed before Kenshin kicked me in the ass, why?"

"I was just thinking… when you helped me out with that little problem I had in Toronto, it took us what? Six months or so to track down Aoshi? He'd been split from the main family for about six years at that point, maybe longer. Dates do run together, don't they? I know I had been looking for three years at that point… but we lived in Wyoming as a pack for five years before we…" she swallowed hard and curled her hands into fists. "Before."

Kenshin stepped forward and settled his hand between her shoulder blades. "Misao?"

"I'm okay. I just… you know why I left after dad died." Her eyes met Kaoru's and the understanding there rattled Kaoru. "I was just… one of the old family connections was to Kanryu, I think. What if Kaoru is right? What if he is hunting down his old business connections and eliminating them for some reason?"

Tae leaned forward. "I've been doing some thinking. I think we're all right. I think Kanryu is probably hunting Megumi and he hasn't found her yet. I think you're also right, Misao. Kaoru's theory that the timeline doesn't match is a good one, but I think we're cutting off our noses to spite our faces here."

Sano grinned at her. "Yeah, how's that?'

"Why is everyone assuming that because Kaoru has managed to stay under the radar from two packs that aren't looking for her that no one else knows she's here?"

Kaoru blinked. "Huh."

Tae nodded grimly. "If I was going to go into a territory and cause as much chaos as possible and I knew there was a rogue wolf sitting in plain sight next to an unaware pack? I'd do something similar to this and hope it would cause enough of a stir they wouldn't communicate – then who'd blame who when the problems started?"

"I surprised her."

Every head in the room snapped around to the cot. Yahiko was still flat on his back but his eyes were open and his face was twisted into a tight grimace of pain. Kaoru felt the sudden surge of pack magic and Yahiko's eyes fluttered as he groaned in relief. Megumi had already pushed to her feet and was gently probing the worst of the wounds, her face tight as she worked. Then she relaxed.

"Anything else hurt?"

Yahiko opened his eyes again. "I'm fine."

Megumi narrowed her eyes. "If I catch you doing one stupid thing, just one – and I include telling me your fine when you hurt, you will not enjoy the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

He licked his lips and nodded.

"Then you may answer some questions before you go back to sleep." Megumi met Kenshin eyes. "He starts to flag, the questions stop."

Yahiko made a protesting noise and Megumi leveled him with a glare. Yahiko swallowed and nodded. Kenshin crouched down and met Yahiko's eyes.

"Who did you surprise?"

Yahiko licked his lips. "I didn't recognize her at first, but _she_ knew me."

He swallowed, but before he could speak again magic crackled along Kaoru's deck and exploded in a wave of wood and power. Kaoru cursed and moved to her feet, eyes darkening. The sudden explosion of magic across her senses stung and it tasted like witch.

"Megumi, stay here."

Megumi glanced at her, her mouth went grim, and she crouched in front of the cot. If for some reason whatever was attacking made it into the house, they'd have to go through her to get to Yahiko. Kaoru turned to face Tae and the witch had a frown on her face.

"Tae?"

"I'll stay here with Megumi. I need a few moments to set up any spells and it's better done here."

Another furious blasting of power and something hollow thudded into the earth.

"That had better not have been my hot tub." Kaoru growled. Himura and Sagara were already crouching by a window to get a good look at what was going on outside. They'd have to be outside to deal with this, but it was best to have an idea of what they were charging into before they went full out.

Standing in her yard was a witch of intermediate age and two men who were obviously wolves. With this much magic in the air, she felt overly sensitive in her human skin and she could feel the fur and teeth of the men. The woman was wearing a hood and she couldn't get a good look at her face, but she didn't feel like someone Kaoru had met before.

"What do you think?" She asked Himura.

"A bit over-confident to start slinging spells." He said as they ducked behind the window seal as another wave of power pushed against the side of the house. When he looked at her, his face was tight with rage. "She keeps this up and she'll bring the roof down."

"Come out, come out wherever you are, little wolf! Or I'll huff and puff and _blow your house down_!"

Kaoru felt a surge of annoyance flare under the rage burning in her chest. Some bitch was using her house as target practice and thought she _was just going to let her?_ Growling low in her throat, her fists clenched, claws digging in her hands a heartbeat before Sano stood suddenly and snarled; moving to her back door and shoving it open with enough force that the hinges tore lose. Glaring at his back, she followed him out into the open.

This was her territory and he didn't have the _right_ to defend it.

Sano's voice was hard and lethal when he spoke, ignoring everyone else on the deck. He had been angry with Megumi but this was something more. Something violent and barely controlled.

"Saya, I can't say I expected to find _you_ here."

The witch lowered her hood and raised her chin. She heard Misao's indrawn breath of air as she joined them on the porch, but Kaoru's eyes were centered on the witch who had attacked her home. She had a sharp, pretty face that looked hollow around the edges.

And it was clear that the pack knew her.

"It's Magdalia now, Sanosuke. I can't say I wasn't just as surprised as you when I ended up in this wretched town and found that the pack that killed my brother had settled _here_." Her smile was wild and slightly crazed. Kaoru narrowed her eyes and started to calculate an angle to attack from. "This was just supposed to be an easy recovery job but how fortunate that it lead me to _you_."

And Kaoru realized this was no longer about Megumi, whatever it was. That the past six hours had been a set up for all of them – not just an attempt to drag Megumi back to Kanryu – and her wolf was furious. And Kenshin was a furious, vibrating _rage_ behind her. Whatever had happened between the pack and this woman, it had been _bad_. Bad enough that she swallowed her rage and worked to keep from lunging – this pack needed answers as well.

"Your brother deserved everything he got," Misao snapped. "He _killed them_."

Kaoru's eyes went wide. Her wolf was furious and it wanted blood but this… Misao was pale under two vibrant streaks of red where her jaw was clenched so hard she had to be straining the bone. And Himura. His eyes were winter-white with rage.

Pack killers deserved everything the pack did to them.

Magdalia waved a hand to dismiss those words but her eyes were diamond hard. "And you took my brother away from me. I'd say were at an impasse, but I find that I don't care. Kanryu sent me to collect his pet healer and if I have to kill you to do it, _so_ much better." She laughed, the sound high and thin.

"Wolves are so stupid. The healer didn't check herself for witch marks; wolves just think they can hide if they manage to break those stupid, _weak_ pack bonds that get you _killed_. And because you killed my brother there isn't anything anyone can do to stop me! I have _the right_!"

Then her hands flew to her throat and she made several choking noises, fingers clawing at the skin of her neck until her lips turned blue and she slumped to her knees. A moment later, she lay still in the snow. Seconds later, the wolves behind her followed suit.

Everyone was too surprised to do anything.

Kaoru turned to find Tae standing at corner of the house, her fingers closed into a fist.

"What is the education of the younger generation coming to? That spells isn't easy or quick to cast and she didn't even check to make sure it was just wolves in the area." Tae's eyes met Kenshin's. "What she said was true – witches with registered blood feuds _cannot_ be interfered with by another witch but this child chose not to register. This of course, leads to the conclusion that it was not a true feud, but revenge."

Sano made a noise and Tae frowned.

"I know she ignored registering because I called my contact at the Council to verify when I heard her make the claim about her dead brother. However, while the two wolves are dead _she_ is not. I thought you'd like to interrogate her before one of the local Witches' Council show up to bind her powers and take her back to the States. They are apparently most interested in Kanryu's activities and have been looking for an in for some time."

X

Her house had descended into chaos.

First, Shinomori had shown up. She had thought he was icy _before_ but he had put that to shame. Other than the moment when he had stood next to Misao and quietly touched her cheek, as if reassuring himself of her presence, he had been stone cold in his interrogation of Magdalia. The Council representative for the Witches had shown up ten minutes later smelling heavily of magic and wearing an expression of near glee; she'd helped Tae find and remove the mark on Megumi that had allowed Magdalia to track her. She'd even offered up the magic that forced their prisoner to talk.

Magdalia had confessed under Aoshi's questioning – for a wolf; he had a near perfect ability to hear truth – to attacking Yahiko and then dumping the body where the pack would find it near Kaoru's house. She had apparently hoped to kill two birds with one stone. Everything else – Himura's tenuous connection to Kanryu through his pack – had been a mere coincidence. Magdalia had apparently had no idea that Sagara and Shinomori had history with Kanryu but it hadn't seemed to bother her.

"I was told to kill anyone who interfered." Magdalia said simply. "It would have been a pleasure to kill all of them. It's what my brother would have wanted."

Kaoru's wolf had gone still when Himura had told their history through gritted teeth, white stress lines turning the line of his jaw white as he clenched his teeth in-between sentences. Even Megumi had looked disturbed at what had happened.

Kaoru hadn't been surprised to learn that Himura had been born an alpha, but she had been surprised to learn his pack had two who had been born within ten years of each other. That he had left seemed to fit the man she had started to know, but that this Shogo had later blamed his inability to hold the pack together on Himura was ridiculous. An alpha was personally responsible for the entirety of the pack… or its falling apart.

That Shogo had deliberately set out to destroy Himura's new life in revenge and killed four of Himura's pack in the process, was unspeakable. It went against the very nature of their wolf and broke so many laws that Kaoru would have killed him herself, if Shogo hadn't already been executed. But if the way Magdalia had ranted about pack bonds was any indication, she supposed if there had been any insanity in Shogo, then the sudden breaking of his pack would have sent him over the edge. Which would have explained how the wolf would have tolerated such violence – she wondered if that trait of insanity was why the family had adopted a witch daughter… no family carried both the genetic traits for wolf and for witch. But that opened a whole other series of issues on why the family didn't report his possible tendency to insanity to the pack.

This kind of speculation made her head hurt.

And it explained why they had moved so far from the United States to lessen their grief. And why they had precedence in deciding what to do with Magdalia once the Witches Council was finished with her. It didn't stop her wolf from feeling cheated.

And so she found herself in the kitchen putting together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because she wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else. Tae was keeping an eye on the wolves to make sure one of them didn't try to kill Magdalia before she was transported.

Kaoru thought that was smart, because _she_ wanted to rip out Magdalia's throat.

Setting the butter knife down and she squeezed her eyes shut and counted to fifty. Her wolf was tense and a muted knot of rage and need. That bitch had hunted Megumi across the ocean and had wanted to take her back to Kanryu for nothing more than coin. She didn't begrudge witches their mercenary ways, but she _did_ take offense when they went after what was hers and she was unable to respond how she wished.

Right then, Kaoru wanted Magdalia in bloody, mangled pieces. She wanted to ship those pieces home to Kanryu and let him know exactly what she would do to him if he continued his hunt. _Then_ she wanted to clear out her house and force peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and hot chocolate at Megumi until her wolf settled.

Or drag Himura by his hair to the nearest flat surface and find out what was under those clothes. Picking up one completed sandwich she chopped it forcefully down the center. She had already told Megumi that she wasn't sure she could avoid jumping his bones and now both woman and wolf were worked up without an outlet.

"Those poor sandwiches."

Kaoru spun around and narrowed her eyes at Himura as he stood leaning against the doorjamb, his expression intent. Pointing the knife at him, she smiled just enough to show teeth.

"What do you want?"

He glanced down at the knife and arched a brow before glancing back up. "Tae has agreed to accompany Magdalia to the Council Seat to make sure there isn't an unfortunate accident. This incident is apparently been the leverage the Witches Council has needed to get involved in the problem that is Kanryu. I don't believe he will be a problem much longer. A single pack has little hope to stand up to the council."

Kaoru set her teeth. Another problem resolved without bloodshed. Her wolf appreciated the efficiency of such a move but it wanted blood. And she couldn't have it.

"Aoshi took Misao home; Sano rode with them to get some supplies. We'd like to keep at least one pack member here until Yahiko heals so that Megumi has someone else to draw off of besides you."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes and decided not to take that as a direct challenge to her ability to provide energy to _her_ healer. Her wolf wanted to take it that way but this was one of those times it was best to follow the human side of her brain. Her fingers tightened around the knife anyway.

"So why are _you_ still here?"

And the blue-violet faded under a wash of wolf gold. He pushed away from the doorframe and prowled forward. He paused when he was close enough for her to feel the heat of his skin through her clothes and she watched him suspiciously even as she breathed him in. His eyes left her and scanned the contents of her island. Instead of answering her question, he reached out and curled his fingers around the wrist not holding the knife and studied her knuckles. They had splatters of peanut butter from her attempts to finish off the jar. Eyes narrowed, she waited to see what he would do.

"I thought I'd see if you would like some assistance in here."

Then he brought her knuckles to his mouth and licked. He lifted his eyes back to hers in a blatant challenge and her wolf lunged to the surface. She dropped the knife and pushed up on her toes, shoving up against him while her mouth found his, hard. She ignored the way her teeth smashed into his and instead, simply shifted her mouth to bite at his bottom lip instead. He grunted and staggered in obvious surprise and she took advantage – shoving one hand up under the back of his shirt and flattening her chest against his. Then his grunt changed into a low level snarl and he met her kiss with his own and dropped her wrist to press both hands to her butt and hold her against him.

He tasted like peanut butter and something richer and she licked along the inside of his mouth hungrily. Kenshin seemed to like that as he spun her around and pushed her up against a wall; using his body to pin her in place so that his hands could wander. Kaoru locked her legs around his waist and dug her nails into his side while her other hand moved to fist in his hair.

"What… about… Yahiko," Kaoru gasped as he moved to her jaw. She jerked a little when he bit down lightly. "And Megumi…"

Kenshin pulled back and dragged his tongue across his lips. "Both are in your guest room. Tae though it would be wise to set up some sound barriers so they could rest after the… _excitement_ today."

Kaoru slowly smiled and tightened her legs around his waist, deliberately pressing down. Kenshin closed his eyes with a moan and his hands flexed against her skin.

"In that case, you can go ahead and strip." She pulled his head back by tugging on his hair and licked his throat. "I've wanted to crawl all over you all day and you're going to _let_ me."

He shuddered and bucked against her and she hissed. This his mouth was against hers again as he all but shoved her back into the wall, tongue dominating hers. When he pulled back she was gulping air and his eyes were winter pale.

"You first, little alpha," he ran a series of kisses along her jaw and cheek before biting down lightly below her ear. "Then you can do whatever you want."

She scraped her nails along the back of his neck just to feel his shiver. "No."

He pushed his hands up under her shirt and slid them up to her breasts, squeezing lightly. "No?"

Kaoru wiggled against him when he repeated the caress and her head feel back with a groan. "My territory, my kitchen, _my_ rules. And I'm saying you. _Naked_. _Now_."

His tongue stroked against her pulse. "You don't sound very convincing."

Her wolf bared its teeth and she let out just enough claws to rip a line down the back of his shirt before lowering one leg and taking him to the floor. Kenshin growled as they landed but she ignored it, pulling the rest of his shirt from his shoulder and leaving him bare from the waist up. Her hands smoothed across skin and muscle as she pressed her face against his.

"How's _that_?"

When Kenshin opened his eyes, they were almost colorless. And then he _smiled_.

X

"I don't share well."

Kaoru opened heavy lidded eyes and stared at the tousled redhead in her bed. His lips were still swollen from when he had woken her from her nap the second time and she resisted the urge to touch them.

"Aren't men supposed to sleep after sex?"

His smile was slow as he blatantly lowered his eyes to her naked chest before he glanced back up. "My wolf wants to make this very clear before I borrow a robe and make us dinner."

Kaoru looked around for a clock but couldn't find one, so instead she pulled the sheets up and sighed at him. It was amazing what several orgasms could do for one's mood. Her wolf was content and so was she and now he wanted to ruin it by talking.

"Was I somehow unclear when I told you this was my territory?"

"Was I somehow unclear when I was licking every inch of you that I considered this an opening volley?" His tone was husky but his gaze didn't leave hers. "If you think this was a onetime offer, you should tell me now, little alpha."

Her wolf was terribly unconcerned. Kaoru closed her eyes and pursed her lips, considering. The bed shifted as he leaned over her and she opened her eyes to find his wolf watching her with that toe curling intensity.

"My wolf wants you. I want you. This may be your territory, Kaoru, but I plan on invading. I'll lay siege if I have too."

Her wolf stirred at that. "I won't be forced, Himura."

He leaned forward and brushed her mouth lightly. "This has nothing to do with force, Kaoru. My wolf respects yours too much for that. Besides, I _like_ your temper. This is something else, darling. I'm simply giving you warning. I want you and neither I nor my wolf will accept anything less than everything. This is just the start."

He'd already won more ground that he knew. "Is that so?"

"Hmmm," he kissed her harder, tongue flicking out against her bottom lip. "I'm hungry, but we both need to eat. I'll be back with something more substantial than those peanut butter sandwiches of yours."

"Insulting my cooking won't win you points."

He paused where he was wrapping her plain, cotton robe around his shoulders and blinked. "Cooking? When…" he paused and considered something before smiling. "I'll be back momentarily."

Kaoru watched him disappear suspiciously before allowing herself a smile. Poor man. He thought he was chasing her. She'd let him work for it a little before she let him in on the fact that she'd already caught _him_. Her wolf was delighted with the idea.

Then she'd let him decide her house was the better place to live.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Please Comment<em>**


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